my amp just took a $h*t :(

[Gioia69 30]

so im in class right now, and i cant focus cuz im so pissed off. all i have is a brutus 2608 on a Fi BL. running @ 2 ohms (rated 1700 rms). so heres what happened. im on my way to class, which is about a 20 minute drive. the music was on the whole time. probably going half tilt for the 1st half, then going hard for the last 10 mins. i have never encountered any problems with the amp in the past, so im very conused why it decided to shit out. im running a stock alt and battery, which i know is not enough for this amp, but thats what it is. i never properly set my gain, ive always just turned it down when i saw voltage drop or heard any clipping. back to the story, im about 2 minutes from school, and i feel like bumping a song that beats hard. so i turn on the song, and immediately i get slight voltage drop and some clipping from lack of voltage. this probably happened for like 2 seconds. i turned the volume down a couple notches, to keep my voltage stable, and stop the clipping. it continues to play for another 5ish seconds, and then my sub just stops playing. so i let the music continue playing for another 10 seconds or so, praying that it comes back on. and of course, it doesnt turn back on. so i turn my head unit off for a few seconds, and turn it back on, and a couple seconds after i turn the deck back on, when it triggers the amp to turn on, my voltage took a STEEP drop to the point that i could hear my motor starting to sound not so stable. so i shut my deck off, and a few seconds later, i can smell burnt equipment. i get to school about a minute to 2 minutes later, and asess the sub to make sure its not blown. no coil rub, dust cap not hot, no hot air in the port, so im guesing its ok. feel the amp, its kinda hot, check all the wiring, everything is how it should be. turned my car back on, and turned my deck on, and again i get steep voltage drop, so i turn it off, and go to my trunk to watch smoke pour out of my amp. at this point i assume my amp is fucked. anyone have advice for what i should do? class is done now, ill be back to check this thread soon hopefully.

[casflan 4]

You could get the amp repaired, but I would recommend going with a higher quality brand of amp, setting your gains properly, and beefing up your electrical. Start with the big 3, add a good battery, and possibly an alternator.

Edited November 9, 2009 by casflan

[Spencerk 4]

Well if you let the magic smoke out of the amp I am 99% sure is screewed.....probably the power supply or MOFSET, and if the magic smoke smelled really bad it was probably a wet capacitor (those things stink)....In any event I think its safe to assume your going to need another amp.

[Spencerk 4]

If the voltage dropped off badly there was probably a dead short....did you loosed any fuses in the proses??? with such peaks in current inrush you should have blown a fuse or two.

[Gioia69 30]

Well if you let the magic smoke out of the amp I am 99% sure is screewed.....probably the power supply or MOFSET, and if the magic smoke smelled really bad it was probably a wet capacitor (those things stink)....In any event I think its safe to assume your going to need another amp.

i really have no knowledge on amp parts. do you know how much a power supply of MOFSET would run me, roughly? i know you wouldnt know the exact price, but do you know any ballpark number? im pretty strapped for cash right now, but if its not too expensive i might try to get it repaired.

[Gioia69 30]

If the voltage dropped off badly there was probably a dead short....did you loosed any fuses in the proses??? with such peaks in current inrush you should have blown a fuse or two.

theres no built in fuse on the 2608. and this is going to sound very irresponsible and noobish... but i didnt have an external fuse on it. from a birds eye view, this was probably an event waiting to happen. im a broke 19 year old student. im running 4 guage, stock electrical, and no fuses. very stupid, i know.

[Spencerk 4]

Unless you have someone one off a board for you you will probably just have to get a new one from Hifonics and by the time you do either you will have spent more cash then the new one.....sry man. But hey Christmas is on the way......with the next amp get a fuse holder and fuse they will run you like 30 bucks to your door for a cheapie

[mjmarovi 8]

amp is done, and it will probably cost you the value of the amp to have someone repair it for you. I would just start saving for an extra battery and a higher quality amplifier.

[Gioia69 30]

Unless you have someone one off a board for you you will probably just have to get a new one from Hifonics and by the time you do either you will have spent more cash then the new one.....sry man. But hey Christmas is on the way......with the next amp get a fuse holder and fuse they will run you like 30 bucks to your door for a cheapie

yeah... whats even more stupid is the fact that i have a fuse and a fuse holder. i was just so frustrated with the install on my current car because it took way longer than i expected and when i finally got it all in, i was so ancy i just said fuck the fuse i dont need it... looks like i learned my lesson the hard way.

[djphilly 11]

If the voltage dropped off badly there was probably a dead short....did you loosed any fuses in the proses??? with such peaks in current inrush you should have blown a fuse or two.

theres no built in fuse on the 2608. and this is going to sound very irresponsible and noobish... but i didnt have an external fuse on it. from a birds eye view, this was probably an event waiting to happen. im a broke 19 year old student. im running 4 guage, stock electrical, and no fuses. very stupid, i know.

Yea. lesson learned. never just assume that your systeme will be ok without fuses where they belong, because stuff like this happens. take the extra 20 mins to install the fuse and fuse block next time.

[jcarter1885 995]

.

[Mac N Cheese 90]

.

I hate that feeling

[mjmarovi 8]

it sucks, but now you probably end up saving up and trying to upgrade sooner than you had thought!

[Gioia69 30]

it sucks, but now you probably end up saving up and trying to upgrade sooner than you had thought!

yeah... but first i have to pay off a huge fine for violating the sound ordiance LOL

[jcarter1885 995]

it sucks, but now you probably end up saving up and trying to upgrade sooner than you had thought!

yeah... but first i have to pay off a huge fine for violating the sound ordiance LOL

Please be respectful for the sake of car audio enthusiasts and the public.

[djphilly 11]

it sucks, but now you probably end up saving up and trying to upgrade sooner than you had thought!

yeah... but first i have to pay off a huge fine for violating the sound ordiance LOL

Please be respectful for the sake of car audio enthusiasts and the public.

Yea. Alot of cities around the country are acutually banning loud car stereos. to the point that they will tow your car and have the system taken out at YOUR expense. some crazy stuff. So be respectful

[Gioia69 30]

it sucks, but now you probably end up saving up and trying to upgrade sooner than you had thought!

yeah... but first i have to pay off a huge fine for violating the sound ordiance LOL

Please be respectful for the sake of car audio enthusiasts and the public.

trust me, if you knew the police force in my area, you would have sympathy for me. seriously.

[ncacoates 104]

eeeeh its toast man fuses are your best friend. My guess is the FETs got stuck in a closed position and that's why you saw the big drain until they melted

[///M5 2,833]

You fuse the wire not your system, ie it shouldn't be the reason your amp is smoked....although not having means you could easily do a lot more damage to your whole car. Always fuse!!

Classic case of bad settings, not enough power, and a crappy amp. Do yourself a favor and don't replace it with another hifonics

[Steveman09 1]

You fuse the wire not your system, ie it shouldn't be the reason your amp is smoked....although not having means you could easily do a lot more damage to your whole car. Always fuse!!

Classic case of bad settings, not enough power, and a crappy amp. Do yourself a favor and don't replace it with another hifonics

Yeah he is right the fuse is just to protect the wiring and your car, because without one the power wire would of eventually caught fire and burned the car to the ground.

I had a Pheniox Gold Amp shit out just like you experienced, now mind you my PG amp was over 10 years old and served a LONG time but the breaker/fuse I had saved my car before it burnt down, once my amp shorted and started smoking the breaker kicked and saved my car.

Hifonics seems cheap from what I have read, how old was it?

I was told my PG should of had the caps replaced at the 10 year mark.

[Gioia69 30]

You fuse the wire not your system, ie it shouldn't be the reason your amp is smoked....although not having means you could easily do a lot more damage to your whole car. Always fuse!!

Classic case of bad settings, not enough power, and a crappy amp. Do yourself a favor and don't replace it with another hifonics

im aware of how to fuse a wire.

[Gioia69 30]

You fuse the wire not your system, ie it shouldn't be the reason your amp is smoked....although not having means you could easily do a lot more damage to your whole car. Always fuse!!

Classic case of bad settings, not enough power, and a crappy amp. Do yourself a favor and don't replace it with another hifonics

Yeah he is right the fuse is just to protect the wiring and your car, because without one the power wire would of eventually caught fire and burned the car to the ground.

I had a Pheniox Gold Amp shit out just like you experienced, now mind you my PG amp was over 10 years old and served a LONG time but the breaker/fuse I had saved my car before it burnt down, once my amp shorted and started smoking the breaker kicked and saved my car.

Hifonics seems cheap from what I have read, how old was it?

I was told my PG should of had the caps replaced at the 10 year mark.

ive had it for about a year and a half. only used for about 6 months of driving every day.

EDIT: pretty much every day

Edited November 10, 2009 by Gioia69

[Adrian_D 520]

If the voltage dropped off badly there was probably a dead short....did you loosed any fuses in the proses??? with such peaks in current inrush you should have blown a fuse or two.

theres no built in fuse on the 2608. and this is going to sound very irresponsible and noobish... but i didnt have an external fuse on it. from a birds eye view, this was probably an event waiting to happen. im a broke 19 year old student. im running 4 guage, stock electrical, and no fuses. very stupid, i know.

Yea. lesson learned. never just assume that your systeme will be ok without fuses where they belong, because stuff like this happens. take the extra 20 mins to install the fuse and fuse block next time.

Fuses won't help a faulty amp. If it goes, it goes.

It only helps protect your car in case the power supply of the amp takes a dump and acts like a short circuit between the positive and negative wire.

[Gioia69 30]

If the voltage dropped off badly there was probably a dead short....did you loosed any fuses in the proses??? with such peaks in current inrush you should have blown a fuse or two.

theres no built in fuse on the 2608. and this is going to sound very irresponsible and noobish... but i didnt have an external fuse on it. from a birds eye view, this was probably an event waiting to happen. im a broke 19 year old student. im running 4 guage, stock electrical, and no fuses. very stupid, i know.

Yea. lesson learned. never just assume that your systeme will be ok without fuses where they belong, because stuff like this happens. take the extra 20 mins to install the fuse and fuse block next time.

Fuses won't help a faulty amp. If it goes, it goes.

It only helps protect your car in case the power supply of the amp takes a dump and acts like a short circuit between the positive and negative wire.

actually i think it would have helped my situation. when it first went out while i was driving, the voltage didnt move. the voltage only severly dropped after i turned the deck off and then back on again 2 times. but maybe not, i dont know. a fuse wouldnt have hurt tho.

[corrie3232 8]

the quaility of the amp has nothing to do with it taking a dump, he's runing a 2200+ wrms on a stock electrical. How many guys u know does that, i'm just surprised it lasted that long.

Edited November 10, 2009 by corrie3232